mnartists.org announces the second series of mnSpin, a quarterly music contest for Minnesota musicians sponsored by Summit Brewery. Winning tracks from each contest are selected by panelists from within the music industry. Each week a three-song playlist from the winning submissions will be featured on the mnartists.org and Summit Brewery (summitbrewing.com) Web sites. Quarterly live music showcases at area venues will take place and a compilation CD of music from the yearlong contest will be produced. The first mnSpin showcase, sponsored by Summit Beer, will be held on Saturday, March 22, at the Nomad World Pub, 501 Cedar Avenue on the West Bank in Minneapolis. Doors open at 8 pm and there is a $2 cover charge. The evening features sets from mnSpin round one winners Alison Rae, (with John Hermanson, John Munson, Eric Fawcett, and Joe Savage), Zhalman Harris (Z-PLUS), and The Sexy Bang. Chris Roberts of 89.3 The Current’s “Local Show” will spin Minnesota-made music throughout the night, and the Minnesota History Center will conduct a Minnesota Music and Summit Beer trivia contest between sets.
mnSpin Round One Showcase Performers Bios:
The
Sexy Bang
is a progressive American indie rock band formed in 2005 in Minneapolis. Elements of The Sexy Bang’s early sound have been likened to or inspired by Modest Mouse, Tapes n’ Tapes, the Strokes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and numerous other alternative rock bands. The original members of the band are singer/lyricist/guitarist Joe Krasselt, drummer Joe Sederberg, bassist An Hong, and trombonist Evan Taylor. Guitarist Steve Pease joined the band in May 2007 to work on the debut album, Signals From Sputnik, self-released in November 2007.
Minnesota songbird
Alison Rae
wrote her first song at the age of 4. Now 29, she is still writing songs and performing with the likes of Mindy Smith and Julie Lee. Rae and her 1949 Gibson guitar have been heard on Minnesota Public Radio’s “The Morning Show,” 89.3 The Current’s “Local Show,” and Ellen Stanley’s “Womenfolk” on KFAI. She has been seen at favorite Twin Cities venues like the Bryant-Lake Bowl, the Turf Club, the Fine Line Music Café, in the basement of Java Jacks, and at Jim Walsh’s Hootenanny. Her performance at the Nomad World Pub will feature guest musicians John Hermanson, John Munson, Eric Fawcett, and Joe Savage.
Themes of war, violence, and disastrous events permeate the expressions of artists in times of critical conditions. Music artist
Zhalman Harris (Z-PLUS)
has captured his tumultuous upbringing amidst the civil war in his home country in West Africa. A singer and songwriter, his unique rhymes set to an urban hip-hop beat depict a hopeful outlook in the midst of bleak circumstances. Today’s listeners are accustomed to lyrics highlighting the obsession of sex and material wealth. Harris sets himself apart from other artists in the rap genre with songs about his personal experiences of violence on a completely different level than that of the urban thug.
Judges for the second series include:
Rachel Lee Joyce
(mnSpin Coordinator) is Assistant Director of Public Relations for the Walker Art Center. As D.J. Nite Nurse, she co-hosts the world music program “Shake & Bake” on KFAI radio. Joyce is a member of the board of directors of the Cedar Cultural Center and D.E.M.O. She is a co-founder of the Minneapolis Afrifest.
Sarah Askari
has been the music editor at Twin Cities alt-weekly City Pages since 2006. Before that, she contributed writing to online media. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
M.anifest
is a rapidly rising hip-hop artist born in Ghana and currently residing in the Twin Cities. He has captivated the attention of music fans and critics alike with a powerful mélange of aesthetically relevant music and an enchanting quality of social mindfulness. His “self-assured ruminative voice” effortlessly molds his transnational experience into songs—classic sounding songs with skillful and literate lyrics over African inspired rhythms and melodies. His star quality was made evident with his widely embraced and critically acclaimed 2007 debut Manifestations, which earned him high praise and a place in albums of the year honors in the Star Tribune as well as City Pages. Armed with an added ability to move the crowd in any live setting, M.anifest is poised to make memorable music for a long time.
You may recognize
Matt Perkins
from a few places around town. You can currently find him working at Minnesota Public Radio as the new Marketing Coordinator, as well as doing music booking and promotions at the Nomad World Pub. Over the years he has also worked for Vitriol Independent Promotions and Vamp Music Source. In addition, he has been involved with Voltage Fashion Amplified and the Clapperclaw Music and Arts Festival.
Development Workshops
mnSpin will also present a series of free professional development workshops for musicians in partnership with Summit Brewery, the Diverse Emerging Music Organization (D.E.M.O.), Springboard for the Arts, the McNally Smith College of Music, and the Minnesota History Center. The first workshop, Don’t Hang the DJ: Breaking into Radio for Minnesota Musicians, will be held on Saturday, March 29, 4–6 pm, at Summit Brewery, 910 Montreal Circle in St. Paul. The event features a panel of Twin Cities radio programmers, DJs, and professional radio promoters. A party sponsored by Summit follows the workshop.
Submission Specifications and Entry Process
Any and all types of music accepted; only three tracks per musician will be reviewed for possible inclusion on the CD. Tracks can be uploaded to artist pages on mnartists.org, and a URL of the page can then be e-mailed to mnspin@mnartists.org. Submissions must come from mnartists.org members. To sign up for membership, visit www.mnartists.org/join.do?action=join. For assistance with registration or with uploading music tracks, please e-mail info@walkerart.org or call 612.375.7611.
